


Sleepover

by abs2891



Series: Masks AU [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Alternate Universe - Politics, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, masksau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 16:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14024241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abs2891/pseuds/abs2891
Summary: MasksAU Crossover Fic - Joonmyeon meets Baekhyun and Chanyeol for the first time one night when Baekhyun is need of a friend.





	Sleepover

“Are there no other options?” Joonmyeon groaned, head lowering down to collide with his desk.  The thunk upon impact was loud enough Jongdae probably heard it through his own groan on the other end of the line.

“Look, I’m sorry, but like I said, we don’t have much of a choice.  I’ve held them off for two weeks, but they aren’t going to be put off for much longer.  We need to get ahead of this, before the rags start publishing every detail of Yixing’s life they can find,” Jongdae replied, tone conciliatory, but firm.

Joonmyeon groaned again as he sat back up, leaning back to look up at the ceiling.  “Whatever happened to a citizen’s right to privacy?”  He lamented with a sigh.

Jongdae let out a bitter laugh.  “You know that disappeared the second he called you.  He knew it too.  Look I’m sorry Joonmyeon, but Dispatch has me against a wall.  Either we give them an exclusive and access to our first press con to introduce Yixing, or they go live with their current story at the end of the week.”

“And that current story is?” Joonmyeon asked, certain he wasn’t going to like the answer.

Jongdae was quiet for a couple seconds before he let out a heavy sigh.  “Let’s just say it could be more favorable.”

Joonmyeon nodded to himself, unsurprised.  “What makes you think they’ll make it any better if we give them an exclusive?”  He asked, already starting to weigh his options in his head.

Jongdae sighed.  “Well, it at least gives them a reason to be kinder, and… I’ve got some leverage,” Jongdae added hesitantly, voice dropping to something low and conspiratorial.

Joonmyeon groaned again.  “Jongdae, what did you—”

“Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.”  Jongdae said, cutting Joonmyeon’s question off before he could even finish.

Joonmyeon sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.  “Jongdae.  Tell me,” he said, tone firm.

Jongdae hesitated for a second before offering a response, tone hesitant as he carefully chose his words.  “Let’s just say one of the editors has vices similar to those they’d like to criticize.”

“Jongdae!” Joonmyeon exclaimed.

 “I told you not to ask,” Jongdae replied, tone defensive.

“Jongdae, I can’t be blackmailing members of the constituency I’m supposed to be championing,” Joonmyeon argued back, dissatisfied.

“You’re not.  I am, and only a little bit,” Jongdae replied, not backing down.

“Like that makes it better,” Joonmyeon huffed, annoyed.

“Would you rather I had let them release the story two weeks ago?” Jongdae countered, tone critical.

Joonmyeon sighed as he pinched his nose again.  “No,” he admitted after a couple seconds.  Even knowing Jongdae’s methods, he still was grateful for the two weeks of peace and quiet he and Yixing had been granted at the renewal of their relationship.  He wouldn’t trade them for the world.

On the other end of the line, Jongdae seemed to know that, moving on from the topic of his methodologies to the next item on his agenda, Yixing.  “Then accept that some arms had to get bent and focus on teaching Yixing how to handle the media circus he’s about to enter.  You can’t protect him forever Joonmyeon, but I’ll do my best to give you as much time as I can.”

“You’ve done enough,” Joonmyeon replied, tone grateful as his eyes flicked to a picture of Yixing on his desk.  Printed out from his at home printer, it was grainy and low quality.  At least now, he would be able to get some professional pictures done.

“I wish I could do more,” Jongdae replied, tone conciliatory.

Joonmyeon smiled as he reached out, finger stroking down Yixing’s smiling face.  “I know.  Thank you.  Yixing’s coming over tonight.  I’ll… I’ll talk to him,” He said, already running through the conversation in his mind.  He wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Good,” Jongdae said. “Then, let me know how it goes, but remember, we don’t have much time,” he cautioned gently.

“Understood,” Joonmyeon replied grimly before pulling the phone away from his ear and hanging up.

The second the screen went back, Joonmyeon let out a frustrated growl, hand mussing his hair.  He had known this was coming.  It was inevitable, especially after Yixing had announced himself the way he had.

Seconds after Yixing had hung up the phone after calling the live talk show, investigative reporters, tabloids, internet warriors, they’d all been on the case.  They’d dug and dug, and sure enough, rumors had started popping up within hours.  It had taken almost all of Jongdae’s PR expertise to quash them, and Sehun had hired a temp to help monitor message boards to get problematic posts pulled, something Joonmyeon was certain had involved as much arm twisting as Jongdae’s questionable blackmailing of a dispatch editor if not more.  PR management was not a pretty world.  Joonmyeon knew that firsthand, and now, it fell to him to give Yixing a crash course.

Joonmyeon moaned as he let his forehead collide with his desk again.  It had barely been two weeks since he and Yixing had gotten back together.  Joonmyeon would rather spend his time getting to know Yixing even better, not teaching him how to navigate the ins and outs of a press conference, but it would seem he had run out of time.

Joonmyeon shook his head as he sat back up and reached for his phone, tapping it open and going to his photos.  In addition to the one on his desk, his phone already held more pictures of Yixing than could probably be considered reasonable, but Yixing let him keep them anyway.  He’d even given Joonmyeon permission to take one of him sleeping when Joonmyeon had asked, though he had also called it slightly creepy.

Joonmyeon swiped over to that picture, looking down at Yixing’s peaceful sleeping expression as a small smile formed on his face.  “I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly, finger reaching out to trail down Yixing’s face.  Oh what he’d give to keep Yixing looking like that, calm, untroubled, and—

“For what?” Yixing asked, making Joonmyeon jump as his chin hooked over Joonmyeon’s shoulder, looking down at Joonmyeon’s phone in his grasp.  Joonmyeon, startled, clicked it off as Yixing pulled away and reached, down, spinning Joonmyeon in his chair.

“Joon?” he asked once he had Joonmyeon spun around, head tilting to the side as Joonmyeon blinked, trying to regain his senses.  It wasn’t easy when Yixing’s face was hovering a mere few inches in front of him, eyes bright and inquisitive, though they were slowly becoming tinged with concern.  Joonmyeon couldn’t have that.

“Nothing, nothing,” he said, reaching out a hand to cup Yixing’s cheek, “I didn’t hear you come in,” he murmured, thumb rubbing back and forth across Yixing’s cheek, making his eyes flutter.

“I yelled,” Yixing responded, making Joonmyeon blink.

“I didn’t hear it,” he admitted.

“I know,” Yixing responded, reaching up to pull Joonmyeon’s hand down from his cheek as he gave it a squeeze, “So?” he asked, head tilting again.

Joonmyeon sighed, squeezing Yixing’s hand back as he pushed himself up from his chair, making Yixing take a step back in the process.

“So, we should order some food.  I still haven’t eaten,” He said, smiling sheepishly as Yixing’s eyes widened in shock.

“You haven’t eaten yet?  I told you I was going to be in late,” Yixing replied, eyes scanning down Joonmyeon’s frame worriedly.  He’d become convinced Joonmyeon wasn’t eating enough, which was probably accurate if Joonmyeon was being entirely honest with himself, but still, waiting a few extra hours for Yixing to come home to eat was hardly a reason for concern.

“And I told you I’d wait,” he responded with a smile, reaching out to try to touch Yixing’s cheek again.  He dodged the motion as he clenched Joonmyeon’s hand in his grasp.

“Joonmyeon,” he whined.

“What?” Joonmyeon asked, keeping his tone light even as Yixing’s tone escalated to something slightly critical.

“Food, Joonmyeon, food.  Regular people need food, multiple times a day,” he said, squeezing Joonmyeon’s hand again for emphasis.

Joonmyeon smiled as he squeezed back, refusing to be ruffled.  “And I’m going to get it, once you tell me what you want to eat,” he replied, using Yixing’s grip on his hand to pull Yixing closer so he could bury his face in the side of Yixing’s neck, lips lightly pressing against his skin as Yixing shuddered and fell silent.

“Yixing?” he asked after a couple seconds, lips still hovering over the side of his neck.

“You’re trying to distract me,” Yixing murmured after a couple seconds, hand releasing his grip on Joonmyeon’s own so that he could instead tangle it in Joonmyeon’s hair, pressing him closer so that when he spoke, Joonmyeon’s lips were moving against Yixing’s skin.

“Is it working?”  Joonmyeon asked, smiling as Yixing let out a quiet groan before twisting his fingers in his hair, pulling Joonmyeon away from his neck so that they were once again eye to eye.

“Order chicken, and by the time I’m out of the shower, come up with an answer to my other question,” Yixing replied, tone firm, but happy.  He was smiling again, which was always a good sign.

“What question?” Joonmyeon asked, head tilting to the side as Yixing withdrew his hand from Joonmyeon’s hair and stepped away, reaching for the lower hem of his shirt as he turned around and headed for the bathroom door.

“The one you don’t want to answer,” Yixing responded looking over his shoulder after he pulled his shirt off over his head, gaze knowing.

“Ah, that question,” Joonmyeon responded, taking the opportunity to trace over Yixing’s back with his eyes, drinking in the image as a knowing smirk graced Yixing’s lips.  Joonmyeon wasn’t the only one who could try to be distracting.

“Yeah, that question,” Yixing said, purposefully flexing his back so that the muscles rippled enticingly.

Joonmyeon groaned, defeated.  “Okay,” he conceded, quickly rewarded with a glowing, grateful smile before Yixing turned back towards the bathroom, hips swaying as he walked.  He called out a “thank you” before he closed the door, leaving Joonmyeon to shake his head as he let out a laugh, feeling slightly dazed.

Really, Yixing never failed to surprise him.  He probably shouldn’t worry.  If Yixing could sweet talk a reporter half as well as he sweet talked him, they’d make it through any and all of their interviews with ease.

\---

Joonmyeon had just finished placing his and Yixing’s order for two full boxes of chicken (Yixing would probably insist Joonmyeon eat an entire one himself, so it was for the best) when Yixing’s phone started to ring.  Well, no, not ring, bark, which made Joonmyeon jump even worse because he was instantly looking for a dog before he realized that the sound was emanating from Yixing’s phone on the counter. 

Realizing Yixing must have placed it there next to his bag when he’d come in earlier Joonmyeon picked it up as it continued to bark and vibrate, reading the name on the screen.

_Byun Baekhyun_

Joonmyeon’s brow furrowed as the phone stopped ringing.  Byun Baekhyun.  He had heard Yixing mention that name before.  He was—

The phone started to bark again in Joonmyeon’s grasp, a new wave of vibrations beginning as Byun Baekhyun’s name flashed on the screen again.

Joonmyeon’s eyes widened before he looked up, glancing around his apartment uncertainly.  Yixing was nowhere in sight.  In fact, Joonmyeon could still hear the sound of the shower coming from his bedroom, and as much as he’d like to join Yixing in the shower, Yixing’s phone wasn’t really compatible with water, but—

Joonmyeon bit his lip as he glanced back down at the phone in his grasp, more of his and Yixing’s conversation about Baekhyun coming back to Joonmyeon as Yixing’s phone stopped ringing a second time.  If this was the Baekhyun he and Yixing had talked about before…

Yixing’s phone started to ring again.

This time, Joonmyeon answered, holding the phone up to his ear uncertainly as an annoyed voice echoed through the speakers.  “Took you long enough Xing.  Where are you?”

“He’s in the shower.  Can I take a message?” Joonmyeon replied, waiting with baited breath after the words passed his lips, uncertain if he had said the right thing as he heard a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh my god, you’re him aren’t you?” Baekhyun suddenly said, catching Joonmyeon off guard enough that he didn’t manage to say anything in response before Baekhyun continued to ramble.  “Ugh, I’m… I’m so sorry.  I didn’t even realize—you know what never mind.  Just… don’t worry about it.  Don’t tell Yixing I called.  You two have a nice evening.  I’ll just—“

“Wait,” Joonmyeon said, cutting Baekhyun off as his mind raced, trying to quickly sort through his still semi-dim memories of his and Yixing’s conversation about Baekhyun from before.  Joonmyeon was definitely cloudy on the details, but there was one thing of which he was becoming increasingly certain.  He shouldn’t let Baekhyun hang up, not yet.  “Where are you?” He asked, not surprised when a gasp greeted his words.

“What?”

“Where are you right now Byun Baekhyun?”  Joonmyeon repeated grip tightening around Yixing's phone. 

Baekhyun gasped again.  “You know my name?”  He asked, clearly surprised.

“It came up on the caller ID,” Joonmyeon said dismissively.  “Now tell me, where are you?”  He repeated, becoming increasingly certain that he knew where Baekhyun was, and also, why he was there, his previous conversation with Yixing finally having come back to him in full.

Baekhyun was quiet for a couple seconds before he started talking, tone equally dismissive.  “It doesn’t matter.  Just—“

“You’re at Yixing’s apartment, aren’t you?”  Joonmyeon cut in, not allowing Baekhyun to finish his retort.  Joonmyeon was certain he was correct.  Why else would Baekhyun have called so many times? 

He had to be at Yixing's apartment, and if he was at Yixing's apartment that meant he was there to wait for his boyfriend, again.  Once, when Joonmyeon had mentioned coming over to Yixing’s apartment, Yixing had cautioned him that Baekhyun would do that sometimes.

Apparently, Baekhyun’s boyfriend was a fireman, and sometimes when things looked pretty bad, Baekhyun would go to Yixing's so he wouldn’t have to wait alone.  At the time of that conversation, Yixing had told Joonmyeon to be prepared for an impromptu third wheel since there was no way he could just send Baekhyun away if he showed up while Joonmyeon was there.

Much to Yixing’s surprise, Joonmyeon had agreed.  Sending Baekhyun away under those circumstances was cruel, which was why, after taking Baekhyun’s stunned silence as confirmation, Joonmyeon spoke again, certain he was making the right choice.

“Come here.” He said, tone firm.

“What?” Baekhyun gasped, “I couldn't possibly--”

“Come here,” Joonmyeon repeated unflinchingly, cutting off Baekhyun’s protest. “I’ll text you the address.  If you don’t show up in the next half hour, I’ll tell Yixing, and he’ll leave to find you anyway.”

After a long pause, Baekhyun groaned. “You—you don’t play fair,” He complained, sounding defeated.

Joonmyeon laughed, amused.  “I’m a lawyer and a politician.  What did you expect?”

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun said with a small laugh of his own.  The sound made Joonmyeon feel slightly better, though sure enough, Baekhyun still wasn't done trying to get out of disturbing his and Yixing's evening.  “But, really, I don’t want to intrude.”

Joonmyeon laughed again, hoping to set Baekhyun at ease.  “You’re not.  Just come.  We can watch a movie together while we wait,” he said, biting his lip nervously when his words were met with an extended silence.

He almost thought Baekhyun had hung up the phone, but then Baekhyun’s voice broke through the silence, making Joonmyeon jump as Yixing emerged from Joonmyeon’s bedroom, a pair of Joonmyeon’s sweats hung low on his hips as he toweled off his hair.  His chest was bare, and the part of Joonmyeon that wasn’t focused on Baekhyun’s words watched as a stray drop of water glided down Yixing’s chest.  Unfortunately, Joonmyeon wasn’t going to get to do more than watch that evening, not if Baekhyun’s lowered, saddened tone was any indication.

“You know,” he whispered softly.

Joonmyeon nodded his head quickly as he whispered back.  “I know.  So come here.  We’ll be waiting,” he replied, smiling reassuringly as Yixing’s brow furrowed, realizing Joonmyeon was talking to someone on his phone.

There was another pregnant pause before Baekhyun spoke again, tone a mingling of acceptance and defeat.  “Text me the address.”

Joonmyeon nodded again, reaching out a hand to motion Yixing to come closer.  “Okay.  See you soon,” he replied.

“Yeah, see you soon,” Baekhyun answered, tone distant before he hung up.

Joonmyeon frowned, mildly worried as he pulled Yixing’s phone down from his ear and began to tap over to the messaging app, quickly locating Baekhyun’s name and typing out his address as Yixing reached him.  His arms slipped around Joonmyeon’s waist from the side as he angled his head to get a look at his phone.

“What are you doing?” he murmured softly as Joonmyeon finished typing.

“Inviting Baekhyun over,” Joonmyeon replied, hitting send before turning in Yixing’s grasp.

Sure enough, Yixing’s eyes were wide as Joonmyeon met his gaze.  “Baekhyun called?” Yixing asked.

Joonmyeon nodded.  “He did.  Three times actually.  I picked up the third,” Joonmyeon admitted, watching as a wave of panic entered Yixing’s eyes.

“I—“

Joonmyeon’s arms moved to hold Yixing's waist, keeping him in place before he could try to step away.  “He was at your apartment so I told him to come here,” he explained, not surprised when Yixing froze in shock.

 “You didn’t have to—“

“You would've left, right?” Joonmyeon said, cutting Yixing off as his hands squeezed around Yixing's hips.

Yixing blinked before he nodded his head. “Yes,” he whispered, eyes on Joonmyeon’s face, searching.

Joonmyeon smiled reassuringly, reaching out one of his hands to Yixing’s wet hair.  “Exactly,” he whispered as he pulled Yixing's head towards his shoulder, enveloping him in an embrace, “So I invited him over instead.  I’m a selfish man sometimes Yixing.  I'm not giving up my time with you for him.”

Yixing stiffened for a second before he laughed and pressed closer to Joonmyeon’s chest.  “But you're willing to share it.”

Joonmyeon shrugged, tone nonchalant.  “Wouldn’t you?”

“Mhm,” Yixing hummed, snuggling a bit closer to Joonmyeon as he placed a light kiss to his neck.  Joonmyeon allowed himself to indulge for a second, fingers pressing to the bare skin of Yixing's back and then he spoke, tone soft as Yixing kept his face buried in the crook of his neck.

“Do you want to check the news before he gets here?  That way we know what’s going on.”

Yixing nodded against him. “Yeah, but we will have to turn it to something else once he arrives.  Baekhyun doesn’t do well with watching live coverage.”

Joonmyeon briefly thought over how he would feel watching a fire rage on the news while knowing Yixing was somewhere inside the building engulfed in flames.  “I don’t think I would either,” he said with a small shudder.

Yixing’s arms squeezed around Joonmyeon’s waist as they began to maneuver their way to the couch, still wrapped up in each other's embrace.  “Neither would I,” he agreed as they fell down onto the couch, limbs still intertwined.

\---

The construction site fire Chanyeol’s team had been called out to assist on was bad.  Not the worst Yixing had seen over the past year, but bad enough that the sight of it made Yixing’s heart clench uncomfortably when he thought about Chanyeol running into the blaze.  Despite their rather awkward first meeting, Yixing had grown rather fond of Chanyeol over the past year.

He was funny, charming, and most importantly, completely in love with Baekhyun.  It was written all over his face every time Yixing saw him and Baekhyun together.  It made Yixing smile just thinking about it.  He’d always wanted Baekhyun to find happiness with someone, but there was no denying Chanyeol’s job occasionally made things difficult.

It wasn’t necessarily Chanyeol’s fault.  Working as a fireman was all he’d ever known, but for Baekhyun, learning to live with that was proving to be a slow process.  When he’d mentioned to Yixing that he’d sometimes stay up for hours, unable to fall asleep as he waited for Chanyeol to come back from emergency calls, Yixing’s response had been instantaneous, “Wait with me,”

At first, Baekhyun had balked, but after some coaxing, he’d been convinced, and ever since that day, it’d become second nature.  If there was bad fire, Yixing would sit up with Baekhyun until Chanyeol came back.  Sometimes it was at Baekhyun’s apartment.  Sometimes it was at his.  Either way, it seemed to do Baekhyun good.

Overtime, he even began to fall asleep as they waited, which was a relief for Yixing.  It meant he could catch some shut-eye too.  This time though, as he opened the door to Joonmyeon’s apartment to reveal Baekhyun standing there holding a rilakkuma bear so large that it blocked Baekhyun’s chest from view, Yixing wasn’t sure Baekhyun would be falling asleep.  Between meeting Joonmyeon for the first time and worrying about Chanyeol, Baekhyun would probably be up for quite a while.

Yixing smiled as Baekhyun stepped through the door, uncharacteristically reserved as he looked around nervously.  “You really didn’t have to invite me over here.  I’d be fine on my own,” he said, toeing off his shoes as Yixing took the large bear from Baekhyun’s grasp so that he could pull him into a one armed hug.

The bear, decked out in custom made firefighter gear, had been a gift from Baekhyun to Chanyeol last fall for his birthday.  Baekhyun had bought the plush doll from a children’s store and enlisted the help of one of the backstage coordis he knew to design a miniature outfit for the plush figure.  Chanyeol had, predictably, loved it, but, to be completely honest, Yixing wasn’t sure who actually loved it more, Chanyeol, or Baekhyun, who seemed to almost always drag it with him when Chanyeol disappeared.

“I didn’t,” Yixing said with a small laugh, relieved when Baekhyun laughed back as he squeezed Yixing’s side before stepping away.

“True.  It was your boyfriend.  Where is he by the way?” Baekhyun asked, attempting to look over Yixing’s shoulder and into Joonmyeon’s apartment.

“He’s in the kitchen.  Our chicken just arrived a few minutes before you,” Yixing said, turning with another laugh as he slipped an arm over Baekhyun’s shoulders to lead him down the hall.

“We’re having chicken?” Baekhyun asked as they entered the kitchen, walking in on the image of Joonmyeon distributing two boxes of fried chicken onto three plates.

“Maybe,” Joonmyeon said with a laugh, eyes appraising as they slid from Baekhyun to Yixing to the bear in Yixing’s grasp.  “Do I need another plate?” He asked, head inclining to the large doll in Yixing’s hand.

Yixing laughed as Baekhyun flushed before laughing as well, sticking out his hand.  “Yeollie’s good.  I’m Baekhyun,” he said, shaking Joonmyeon’s hand firmly when he took it up.

“I assumed,” Joonmyeon said with a smile, “Joonmyeon.”

Baekhyun laughed as Joonmyeon released his grip on Baekhyun’s hand and turned to pick up two of the plates on the table.   “I know.  I’ve seen you on TV,” he responded, leaning forward to grab the third plate as Joonmyeon laughed in turn.

“So, what do you think of me in person?” Joonmyeon asked, stepping out of the kitchen and into the living room.  He had set both of the plates on the coffee table before Yixing and Baekhyun had caught up, Baekhyun laughing as he found himself pushed down onto the couch by Yixing’s encouraging hands.

“Well, you’re shorter than I thought,” he said, making Joonmyeon laugh as he stood up from where he’d squatted down to place the plates on the table and moved towards the television stand.

“Thanks,” he said with a snort as he pulled open the door to reveal his rather large collection of DVDs and blu-rays.  Yixing had spent the better part of an hour looking them over one afternoon when he’d been waiting for Joonmyeon to get back.  “Perhaps I shouldn’t let you pick what we watch,” Joonmyeon continued, turning back to look at Baekhyun with a small smirk on his lips.

Baekhyun met that smirk with one of his own.  “But I’m the guest,” he said, pushing himself up from the couch so that he could survey his options as Joonmyeon nodded his head.

“That you are,” he agreed, stepping aside so Baekhyun could have a full view of his options.

Yixing was certain the tiny whispered, “Thank you,” that passed Baekhyun’s lips as he began to scan the shelves had nothing to do with that movement however.

\---

It was somewhere in the middle of their second movie that Baekhyun began to yawn, head lolling onto Yixing’s shoulder as Yixing himself rested pressed up against Joonmyeon’s side.  His eyes flicked from Baekhyun’s head to Joonmyeon’s eyes, feeling nervous until Joonmyeon just smiled and adjusted, pulling Yixing a bit closer so that Baekhyun’s head was more comfortably positioned.  When he finally fell asleep a few minutes later, it was Joonmyeon who suggested moving Baekhyun to the bed.

Yixing’s eyes widened, but then he nodded his head.  He’d rather put Baekhyun there too.

Baekhyun almost woke up as they moved him over, but not really.  His incoherent mumbling trailed off into gibberish as he curled up on his side underneath the blankets Yixing and Joonmyeon pulled over him, Yeollie back in his grasp.  Yixing smiled before turning to head out of the room.  Joonmyeon followed after, pulling the door closed with a quiet click behind him.

“Well, that went well,” he whispered softly as he moved across the room, reaching for the empty plates that now rested on the coffee table.

“You think so?” Yixing asked as he gathered their cups and used napkins, mind running over the veritable litany of questions Baekhyun had asked Joonmyeon during the first hour of their previous film.  Joonmyeon had answered every single one admirably (of course) but that didn’t mean Yixing didn’t feel at least a little apologetic for unleashing Baekhyun on his unsuspecting boyfriend.

Joonmyeon shrugged as he turned and headed towards the kitchen.  “Well, at the very least I think I passed my first test,” he said.

“Which was?” Yixing asked, following after.

“Convincing your friend I’m good for you, even though I’m not,” Joonmyeon said with a chuckle and a shake of his head as he pulled open the dishwasher to drop in their plates.

Yixing’s brow furrowed as he stepped forward to place in their cups.  “You are,” he replied, hand squeezing around Joonmyeon’s bicep once he was done.

Joonmyeon smiled sadly at the contact.  “Am I?” He questioned softly, expression doubtful.

Yixing frowned, hand squeezing tighter around Joonmyeon’s bicep.  “Are you going to tell me what was bothering you earlier?” he asked, certain Joonmyeon’s current melancholy and his earlier recalcitrance were related.

“I don’t have much of a choice,” Joonmyeon replied, face tinged with frustration before it vanished from Yixing’s sight as he turned to shut the dishwasher and turn it on.

“So?” Yixing asked as he turned back, expression expectant.

Joonmyeon sighed, hand reaching out to stroke down Yixing’s cheek.  “Can we lay down first?” he murmured, fingers lingering on Yixing’s face, tracing over his features as Yixing’s eyes fluttered and he nodded his head.

“Of course,” he said, allowing Joonmyeon to lead him back to the couch in the living room and pull him down so they were eventually laying on their sides, face to face with barest of gaps between them.

“This is familiar,” Yixing whispered, mind flashing back to when they’d laid like this over a year ago, sharing whispered revelation in the back of Luhan’s club.

Joonmyeon smiled softly, fingers moving to trace around the curve of Yixing’s ear, “Do you have any idea how scared I was then?” he whispered, making Yixing smile as he reached out to do the same.

“How scared you were?  What about me?” He asked, remembering clearly how nervous he’d been.  How afraid.  It was hard to imagine that, that moment had eventually led to this.

Joonmyeon smiled a bit wider as leaned forward, connecting their lips in a gentle kiss.  Soft and unhurried, Yixing met the motion willingly, pulling away only as Joonmyeon began to still, a soft sigh passing his lips as Yixing let his hand start to run up and down Joonmyeon’s back encouragingly.

“C’mon Joonmyeon, what is it?  Surely it’s nothing worse than what we’ve already been through,” he reasoned, fingers tracing over the ridges of Joonmyeon’s spine as Joonmyeon let out another sigh and moved his hand to Yixing’s back to do the same.

“It’s not,” he acknowledged, “I just… I wanted more time,” he whispered, fingers stalling as they pressed against Yixing’s lower back, sending a zing of electricity up Yixing’s spine that kept him from speaking for a couple seconds, but he managed it, eventually.

“More time for what?” He questioned, not comprehending Joonmyeon’s words.

Joonmyeon smiled sadly as his hand started to move again, gliding up Yixing’s spine one vertebrae at a time, almost as if he was counting them off, one by one.  “Like I said, I’m a selfish man,” Joonmyeon explained quietly, “I wanted to keep you to myself a little while longer, but it seems I can’t.  Jongdae called today.  The magazines are going to run a story on you whether we like it or not.  The only thing we can do is get ahead of them, make it the story we want told, as best we can.”

Yixing blinked, surprised.  He’d always known this was coming.  It was inevitable really, but hearing it was different.  He was about to become a celebrity, whether he liked it or not.  It would most assuredly be a big change.

He needed to call his dad and let him know he was gay.  He needed to call Hyoyeon to let her know that the school was about to get some dubious publicity.  He needed to do so many things, and yet, as Yixing watched Joonmyeon’s lip slip between his teeth, apprehension clear on his face, Yixing couldn’t help but feel that it was worth it.  Joonmyeon was worth it, at least for him.

“It’s not your fault,” Yixing whispered, reaching up to pull Joonmyeon’s lip out from between his teeth with his fingers and leaving them there as Joonmyeon spoke quietly.

“Isn’t it?”  He asked, kissing Yixing’s fingers gently once he was done.

Yixing shook his head.  “I came back knowing this would happen,” he said, moving his hand back around Joonmyeon so that he could pull them closer together.

“That still doesn’t mean I want it to,” Joonmyeon replied letting Yixing maneuver them so that they were nearly chest to chest with their legs completely intertwined.

“I know.  That’s what makes it all worth it,” Yixing replied, smiling as Joonmyeon’s eyes widened in response to his words.

“I still don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Joonmyeon whispered after a couple of seconds, tone rife with wonder as his hand snaked up to run up and down the side of Yixing’s neck, making his voice tremble as he spoke.

“Sometimes it’s best to not question what makes you happy,” Yixing said.

Joonmyeon smiled, hand settling on the back of Yixing’s neck, drawing him in.  “You think?” He asked, breath brushing against Yixing’s lips as he spoke.

“I know,” Yixing responded, closing the gap between them in another kiss that was far from chaste, but that would lead to little more given the additional occupant in Joonmyeon’s apartment that evening.

\---

Chanyeol was quite nervous when he arrived at the upscale apartment complex that resided at the address Baekhyun had texted him.  He was used to picking Baekhyun up from Yixing’s when he was unexpectedly called out to help shifts that were suddenly overwhelmed, but Yixing’s apartment paled in comparison to the building Chanyeol was entering.

Yixing’s apartment was old, average at best.  This complex was new, with a marble concierge desk and crisply suited concierge that cordially directed Chanyeol towards the correct elevator bay when he asked how to get to apartment 2112.

Chanyeol flushed as he made his way, hitting the up button as he tried not to think about what must have been running through the concierge’s mind as he took in Chanyeol’s t-shirt, sweats and still damp hair.  Chanyeol never bothered to dry it fully.  He preferred to get home faster, even in the winter when Baekhyun would scold him incessantly and worry that Chanyeol would make himself sick.

Chanyeol fumbled with his phone for a couple seconds when he reached the door to the apartment, nerves getting the best of him as he thought about whose apartment he was about to enter.  This was the apartment of Kim Joonmyeon, the now well-known politician and civil rights activist.  As Chanyeol keyed in the code Yixing had sent him, Chanyeol wondered how his life had come to entering the apartment of someone like him.

He would continue to wonder that as he kicked off his shoes and stepped into the living room only to find not Baekhyun on the couch, but Yixing and Joonmyeon, which meant Baekhyun could only be once place.  Chanyeol gulped as he slowly made his way across the room, well aware of the pair of eyes that had opened to watch his progression.  Joonmyeon had awoken, and after a few seconds, he was right next to Chanyeol, leading him to the door to his bedroom.

“We put him in here when he fell asleep,” Joonmyeon whispered softly, pushing the door open as Chanyeol nodded.

“Thank you.  I’m sorry for stealing your bed.  We’ll be on our way soon,” he murmured, stepping past Joonmyeon and into the bedroom, eyes appraising Baekhyun where he lay curled up on his side with Yeollie clutched in his grasp.

Chanyeol had objected to the name at first, not entirely certain he wanted what was supposedly his rilakkuma doll named after him, but Baekhyun had been nothing if not insistent, and overtime, Chanyeol had begun to find it cute.  Besides, Baekhyun had promised the next one could be named Baekkie, and Chanyeol was most definitely looking forward to that.

Behind him, Joonmyeon let out a quiet cough, recapturing Chanyeol’s attention as he realized he had missed something Joonmyeon had whispered.

“What was that?” he asked, turning back towards Joonmyeon.  It was too hard for him to focus this late when Baekhyun was in front of his face.

“I said, don’t worry about it.  Just get some sleep,” Joonmyeon whispered, hands motioning towards the bed.

Chanyeol blanched, eyes widening.  “Oh, I… I couldn’t possibly—“ Chanyeol stopped speaking as Joonmyeon’s hand motioned towards the bed again, head shaking.

“Please, you risk your life on a daily basis to keep people like me safe.  The least I can do is offer you a bed for the night.”

“But—“

“Yixing and I are already quite comfortable.  In fact, I’m going to head back to him now, but before I do, I am going to arm the alarm, so I’ll know if you try to leave,” Joonmyeon added, smiling a bit mischievously before he stepped backwards through the doorway, pulling the door shut in front of him before Chanyeol could compose a response.

Stunned, Chanyeol stared at the closed door for a full minute before he finally just shook his head and turned back towards the bed.  Cleary, this was not an argument he was going to win.  Therefore, he might as well do as instructed and get some sleep.

Chanyeol delicately extracted Yeollie from Baekhyun’s grasp, placing him behind Baekhyun’s back as he slipped onto the bed, pulling Baekhyun to his chest as he stirred slightly, slurred words passing his lips.

“Welcome back,” Baekhyun said, lips pressing to Chanyeol’s chest before he snuggled closer and let out a yawn, already losing consciousness as Chanyeol leaned down to press his lips to Baekhyun’s hair.

“I’m home,” he murmured, smiling as Baekhyun squeezed him a bit tighter before he fell back to sleep.

Chanyeol followed quickly after.

\---

When Joonmyeon reached the couch, he wasn’t surprised to find himself greeted with a pair of open eyes.

“Did you get them settled?” Yixing asked as he opened up his arms, inviting Joonmyeon to rejoin him on the couch.

Joonmyeon did, slipping into Yixing’s embrace as he let out a yawn.  “I did.  They’re cute,” he murmured, thinking about Chanyeol’s stunned expression as he’d just left him in his bedroom.

Yixing let out a quiet chuckle as he nodded his head.  “They are,” he agreed, falling silent for a couple seconds before he pressed his lips to Joonmyeon’s brow.  “Good night,” he whispered, making Joonmyeon smile as he leaned forward kissing the hollow of Yixing’s throat.

“Good night to you too,” he murmured through a yawn, quickly drifting off as Yixing began to hum while trailing a hand up and down his back.

 


End file.
